Automatic trap-nest.



J. E. DUSCN. AUTUMN@ 'FP-1w MST.

PPLOATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1911..

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Musil@ L! L '11H-Tonfall@ L DUSTIN.

AUTDMTQ TRAP NES-T, APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18. 1911.y

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

3'SHEBTS-SHEET 2.

J. E. DUSTIN. AUTOMATIC TRAP NEST. APBLIGAHON FILED SEPT, la, 1911.

Patented A131123, i912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

13ml u M W11/ wid/11 ontarien enanas radiant oracion.

Jenn E. Dessin, or' rrrrsmnnio, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

-AUTOMQTC TRAP-NEST.

speci'aeaaoii of Leners' raient. i application aled september is, 1911.

Patented Apr. 23, 1911.2.. ,serial no. 649,775.

To all whom it may concerm.

Be it known that I, JOHN E. DUsTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsfield, in the county of Merrimack, State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Trap-Nests; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and. use the same.

This invention relates to trap nests and has for an object to provide a nest in which the hen is trapped in until after laying7 the weight of the egg .unlocking a door from which the hen departs, the hen being made to pass over a tilting platform upon departing which will open the entrance door to operative position.

lilith the above object in View the inven tion consists in certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that Various modifications may be made in the minor details of construction within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this speciication:-Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View through the nest. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the nest showing the tilting platform depressed.,. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the nest. Fig. 4c is ia. front elevation of the nest showing the entrance door 'in open position and dottedain closed position. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary rear end elevation of the nest.'

Fig. d is ,a fragmentary. View showing the door locking means. l

The nest comprising the subjectanatter of this invention is in the form of box open at one end land consisting of spaced side walls 10, the lower edges of which are `connected by a bottom wall 11, which is cut away to receive a downwardly bowed wire mesh nest 12. A platform 13 is pivotally connected to the side walls by pins 13, and tension of the bottom, the hen being compelled to tread upon this platform when entering the nest. The end edges of the side walls are connected by a front. wall la which' 1s provided. with a door opening l5. Supporting legs 16 are arranged at' the corners of the nest thus formed and space the bottom of the nest considerabl. above the ground.4

.For permitting of access to the interior of the nest for cleaning and repairs, a hinged 'from the entrance door.

forms an eX- i cover 17 is arranged to close the open top of the nest.

An entrance 'door 18 is slidably fitted to the front wall 14 through theinstrumentality of angle 'iron guide bars 15) which embrace the longitudinal edge portions of the door.

The lower edge of the door arches upwardly, and arranged upon the outer face of the nest is a semicircular slide 23, this slide being adjustably secured through the instrumentality of spaced screws or the like 24. The slide is utilized in sealing any desired amount of the orifice formed by the arched lower edge of the door to adapt the door to various sized hens. Centrally plvoted on the inner faces of the side walls are levers sulicient length to extend nearly the entire length of the side walls. A. plurality of spaced slats 26 connect these levers remote A weight 27 is attached to one of the levers adjacent to the entrance door, and normally holds the opposite ends of the levers elevated. lt ill be here stated that the last named ends of the levers together with the slats above men .tioned form tilting platform which is des- 25 which are of lgnated in general by the numeral 28. @ne

of the levers is provided with an extension 29 which projects through a vertically disposed slot 30 formed in the entrance dor. Suppose the hen to have laid an egg and to have advancedupon the tilting platform as shown in Fig. 2. The latter willgravitate, thereby lifting thepextension 29 vertically and upon this movement of the pa/ tis the entrance door will be raised. The d 0r will be held in this raised position novel cat h which will 4be presently de scribed. Vhen the hen steps od' from the trap extension will gravitate so as not to obstruct gravitation of the entrance door upon the nextsucceeding hen entering the nest.

ivoted nean its uppe corners to the side walls is a substantially U-sha'ped door frame 31 the sides of which lare connected by a screen element 32. Th will be hereinafter referred to as the departure door. One' leg of the U-shaped frame extends below theI bottom 1l and is there equipped with av longitudinal slot 38.

A cable 3e is terminally connected tothe u tilting platform and to the 'cle-arturo door asshown. By means of this oale, when the byar door upon departing from the nest the door thus .formed i* tilting platform is depressed, the departure door is swung open, this swinging open of the door taking place after the operation of an egg controlled latch which will now be described.

Depending from the bottom of the nestl is an arm upon which is centrally pivoted a latch 3G, one end of the latch being weighted as shown at? and being furthermore provided with a notch 38 which engages in the notch 33 of the departure door when the weighted end of the latch is in its lowest limitl of movement, gravitatilw movement of this end of the latch being climited by an, arm 39 which is attached to one of the supporting legs 1G of the nest and is. provided with a guide notch 40 for the reception of the latch. Upon rocking open of the latch, the latter disengages from the notch in the departure door whereupon the departure door is free to rock open, this rocking open of the door being instantaneous due to the action of a weight 4l attached to the upper rail of the departure door frame. As above stated this rocking open of the latch is attained through the instrumentality of the egg laid by the hen, and to attain this end, an opening 42 is formed in the downwardly bowed screen element of the nest, this opening registering with a downwardly inclined egg chute 43 fixed to the bottom of the nest and which in turn vregisters at its discharge end with a second egg chute 44 which is attached to the free end of the latch and from which the egg rolls into the receptacle designed .for its reception. Upon gravitation' of the egg into the egg chute of the latch the latter will be rocked upon its pivot and will release the departure door as above described. The departure when released is rocked slightly open through the instrninentality of the abovev described weight so that an opening exists between the lower edge of the door and the bottom of the nest and upon the hen attempting to escape vfrom this opening it must traverse the entire length ot' the tilting platform and thus the departure door will be swung to its full open position through lthe instrumentttlity of t-he cable. Simultaneously with this` swinging of the departure door to its full open position the entrance door will be elevated and the locking means therefor which will now be described rocked to operative position.

. Arranged on thetilt-ing platform 13 is an inclined finger 45 which normally bears with .its tip upon the inner face of the door and engages in a notch 46 when the door is raised, thereby locking the door against gravitating. The finger disengages from the door upon the hen stepping to the inner end of the platform, and releases the door so that the latter gravitates and traps the hen after the hen has entered the nest. A curtain 47 divides the nest.

lVhat is claimed, is

l. A* nest including a easing, a vertically' movable entrance trap door, a tilting platfoim within the easing, an extension on said platform engaged through a slot in said entrance door and operatin upon depression of said platformfto. li `said entrance door to open position, a swinging departure door pivoted adjacent to its upper corners to the easing, and a connection between said departure door and said platform operating to swing said departure door to open positionupon depression of said platform.

2. In a nest an entrance door, operating means therefor, a tilting platform, a swinging departure door, a connection between said platform and said departure door'operating to swing the latter open upon depression of said platform, said departure door being provided with a depending slotted extension, a pivoted latch below the nest having one end lockingly engaged inl the slot of said extension, an,egg chute adapted to direct an egg from the interior of said easing to the free end of said latch whereby the weight of said egg rocks said latch and releases the same from said dev parture door, and a weight assembled vwith said departure'door serving to rock the door partly open upon release of -said latch -and prior to the operation o'f said tilting platform.

In testimony whereof, I affix iny signature, iu presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E. DUSTTN.

`Witnesses CLARK C. HALL, NEWMAN H. SELDON. 

